Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life

by Boyd Jay Petersen

As one of the LDS Church's most widely recognized scholars, Hugh Nibley is both an icon and an enigma. Through complete access to Nibley's correspondence, journals, notes and papers, Petersen has painted a portrait that reveals the man behind the legend.Starting with a foreword written by Zina Nibley Peterson (the author's wife and Nibley's daughter) and finishing with appendixes that include some of the best of Nibley's personal correspondence, the biography reveals aspects of the tapestry of the life of one who has truly consecrated his life to the service of the Lord.

Genres: Biography, Lds, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Mormonism, Biography Memoir

450 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2002

Reviews

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petersen has done a tremendously well-researched book into the legend and enigma that was Hugh Nibley. I grew up hearing his name in Church meetings and gospel doctrine classes, knowing little about him beyond the fact that he'd published works on the Book of Mormon. As a missionary, "contraband" articles from Nibley's Collected Works were a "peculiar treasure" for me. Nibley's work in studying the Book of Abraham in particular, launched my interest and scholarly study into the Old Testament and the Pearl of Great Price. This book puts Nibley's Collected Works into perspective by his own son-in-law. Through failures, triumphs, and everything in-between, Petersen offers a faithful exegesis of Nibley's life. After reading this book, I was impressed by Nibley's humility toward scholarship, his insights into social issues, and through it all an unwavering testimony in the Restoration of the gospel.

Petersen approaches a number of controversial issues surrounding Nibley's life that are presented in sharp contrast to the picture painted by Nibley's daughter, Martha. This book is a great add to any LDS scholarly library.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugh Nibley is up there on the list of authors that have left a deep impression on me, right next to C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Terryl Givens, Jonathan Sacks, Nicolai Berdyaev, and Abraham Heschel. I discovered Hugh Nibley in one of the edgiest moments on my mission. I discovered that I could access LDS Ensign articles way back into the 1970s from the Church website, and since those are technically official Church publications, I felt there was no harm done to read a few articles during my morning scripture study. I found an extended series there called A Strange Thing in the Land: The Return of the Book of Enoch. Ever since I had discovered that our German Einheitsueberseztung of the Bible contained the apocrypha (and even earlier when reading the entries for apocrypha and pseudopigrapha in the Bible dictionary), I wanted to read any and all ancient texts dealing with or related to the material of the Bible. Hugh Nibley delivered; he would take sections from the book of Enoch and put them right next to sections from the Book of Moses, and some of the connections were astounding. Don't get me wrong, Hugh Nibley's hunt for patterns and parallels can go a little overboard, but High Nibley had me convinced that Joseph Smith was intimately familiar with ancient texts.

When I got home from my mission, I quickly began investing any spare money in purchasing each of the tomes in the The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley. I got through quite a few, but I think the two that influence me the most were Temple and Cosmos (he practically re-creates the entire temple endowment solely referencing ancient texts without explicitly mentioning the LDS temple ceremony at all) and Approaching Zion (leaving me fully convinced that our covenant to live the Law of Consecration isn't metaphorical or to be postponed to a later date-- we are meant to live it now).

I haven't spent too much time with Nibley as of late, partly because I found his academic style hard to stick with for more than a single tome, and partly because I began to have a different approach to Mormon doctrine than Nibley. Some of Nibley's work falls into old-school Mormon apologetics-- pulling out archaeology, linguistics, textual analysis all to show "See? Joseph had it right all along!" It's not that I don't find value in those things, but perhaps I no longer felt a pressing need to provide such evidences? I no longer feel that my faith is so fragile that I would abandon it is a linguist found evidence the Book of Mormon was false tomorrow. I feel much more secure in my faith, because I am much more comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity, and the moral failings of human beings. To take the words from Neal Rappleye and his essay Boundary Maintenance that Pushes the Boundaries: Scriptural and Theological Insights from Apologetics:

Apologetics is, by definition, a defense of already held beliefs and points of view. As such, it is easy to see apologetics as an obstacle to new understandings of scriptural texts and theological concepts. This can and does happen, and some may even argue that defending a viewpoints inherently obscures or prevents new points of view from being considered... [My purpose is to show that] defending certain tenets of Latter-Day Saint belief involves reinterpretations of scripture and doctrine-- and that whatever the merits of any specific reinterpretation may be, this transformative effect is a net positive. Apologetics is at its best not when it is merely defending or providing supportive evidence, but when it can get Latter-Day Saints to rethink their understanding of scriptural narrative and teachings, even as it defends certain fundamental premises.

I'm not saying that Hugh Nibley doesn't do this-- he has certainly made me re-think the temple, the law of consecration, and more. But I am also more open a broader interpretation of revelation than Hugh Nibley (at times) describes-- as truth downloaded from heaven. For instance, the model I have found most inspiring to my faith is that described by Terryl Givens:

Smith believed himself to be an oracle of God, subject to moments of heavenly encounter and the pure flow of inspiration. But he was also insatiably eclectic in his borrowings and adaptations, with an adventuresome mind, prone to speculation and fully comfortable with the trial and error of intellectual effort.

Even Elder David A. Bednar has told us that we overcomplicate and overanalyze what revelation really is. But Nibley defends his turf pretty strongly:

[This] Joseph picks up ideas like a thieving magpie, throwing them together haphazardly, and sells them from the pulpit. He is therefore not the man whose teachings are so well-knit and perfectly logical that they have never had to undergo the slightest change or alteration during a century in which every other church in Christendom has continually revamped its doctrines.

To be fair, this was Hugh writing a critique of Fawn Brodie's unflattering biography of Joseph No Man Knows My History. Who knows? Hugh may have agreed with Givens' description of Joseph's approach to revelation. He seems to have been much more laid back when he began writing about the Book of Abraham, when it was clear Joseph wasn't directly translating an ancient text.

I'm this far into a book review, and I have barely mentioned the text I am reviewing! Peterson's biography Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life is beautifully executed. Hugh Nibley to me is so inspiring, because he isn't an institutional Mormon by any means. While he is a staunch defender of the prophet Joseph, he is also a social critic that pulls some really strong punches. This didn't make him any less faithful. One of my favorite moments is his commencement speech where he takes aim at the managerial approaches infiltrating Church culture:

The rise of management always marks the decline, alas, of culture. If the management does not go for Bach, very well, there will be no Bach in the meeting. If the management favors vile sentimental doggerel verse extolling the qualities that make for success, young people everywhere will be spouting long trade-journal jingles from the stand. If the management’s taste in art is what will sell—trite, insipid, folksy kitsch—that is what we will get. If management finds maudlin, saccharine commercials appealing, that is what the public will get. If management must reflect the corporate image in tasteless, trendy new buildings, down come the fine old pioneer monuments.

Hugh, like other faithful academics Henry Eyring, Lowell Bennion, and Eugene England, remained fully committed to the gospel while not remaining uncritical of it. These are individuals after which I model my own faith. The biography leaves me saying with Brigham Young Away with stereotyped Mormons! and Hugh Nibley was definitely not a stereotyped Mormon.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library after reading an excerpt about his involvement in World War II and the landing on D-day. It is a biography written by his youngest daughter's husband and does an excellent job of highlighting his background, life experiences, and some of his writings. I loved the thorough footnotes of references that gave me a few more books that I want to read.

Here is one of my favorite quotes that is an epitome of his character (my emphasis added). p 192 "It was a classic case of out of the frying pan into the fire since the jeeps would be driving straight into the teeth of the German artillery replacements on the beach. Before departure Hugh spent several days waterproofing his jeep under the supervision of the motor pool mechanics. He coated the underside of the jeep and all the electric wires under the hood with handsful of Harbutt's plasticine, a putty like grease. It was a messy and time-consuming job; BUT BECAUSE HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT, HE WAS NATURALLY MOTIVATED TO DO AN EXCELLENT JOB. He attached an exhaust vent and air intake for the carburetor, a vertical pipe that allowed the jeep to drive through some five feet of water."

Additional passages I loved:

p 193 "The ship their LCT had just pulled away from took a ferocious series of hits and sank. As the LCT neared the beach, the massive drawbridge-door on the front of the craft swung down to allow the troops to drive into the surf. A command car driven by a big, red-headed Kentuckian was the first vehicle out. It disappeared into the sea and was never seen again. Next came Hugh, his jeep loaded with sandbags and men clinging on to give it as much weight as possible so that it would gain purchase on the sandy bottom. "All I had to do was press on the gas and it would go straight ahead, " remembers Hugh. And everybody was yelling, "Go it, Nibs! Keep going, keep going!" Only Hugh's head and shoulders stuck out of the water as he wrestled the tough little jeep through the surf onto the beach."

p217 1977 Essay on the Uses and Abuses of Patriotism

p 219 "The Book of Mormon pattern begins when the people become first, privatized, having nothing in common; then becoming ethnicized, learning to hate other nations; then becoming nationalized, serving men's careers; then becoming militarized, storing up weapons; then becoming terrorized, developing organized crime; then becoming regionalized, forming organizations for protection and profit; then becoming tribalized, abolishing the central government; then becoming fragmentized, forming wandering groups, paramilitary organizations, and family shelters; then becoming polarized, creating great armies; finally becoming pulverized, wiping each other out as the great armies classed. It is left for a future generation to take the final step and become vaporized."

p 277 "Although Hugh would not dismiss the significance of any good fortune, to me the most thrilling instances are the times during World War II when, through fortunate synchronicity, his life was spared, sometimes by mere inches (see chapter 13). Less dramatic, but NO LESS IMPORTANT, are countless instances of providence in which he has just "happened" upon an important source exactly when he needed it in his research and writing. What is surprising to me is that, despite his gratitude and delight at the happenstances of his life, he never seems shocked or even surprised. Instead he cheerfully attributes such blessing to God, perhaps as a reward for paying his tithing, doing his home teaching, or performing some other modest act of righteousness."

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing man Hugh Nibley was! This biography simply made me love him all the more. I had no notion of his early life, his family, his war experiences. or his varied interests (other than the gospel and the environment). The book is by his son-in-law but there is little aggrandizement of Hugh's character or life here. Recommended.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was an amazing man with great integrity, using his intelligence and wisdom to prove the Book of Mormon correct. I really enjoyed this book and will read it more than once. It made me want to read the books he wrote about different topics.

[David Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading his history really helps to understand his views on both money and war (the two topics of his I find the most interesting). It makes me want to reread a lot of his essays now, which is to me a good characteristic of a biography.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF - I enjoyed the first third, but then it started to drag. The author—Hugh’s son-in-law—shifted focus to Hugh’s political opinions, and my interest eventually waned until I stopped reading. If I had more time, I might finish it, but at this point in my life, I’m not willing to slog through a book I am not enjoying.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting biography about a very interesting man who did some fascinating and remarkable things. I loved how harmoniously his intellectuality blended with his spirituality. I think that is an incredibly admirable blend of qualities. Sometimes his insights were truly amazing.

[Jenalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of a brilliant thinker and disciple of Christ. It was written by Hugh's son-in-law who is also a very good writer and researcher. It is one of the best biographies I have read. I enjoyed reading it concurrently with Hugh's Temple and Cosmos (volume 12).

[Richard Bracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Hugh Nibley to be the most insightful person I’ve ever encountered. I wish I could have met him. I haven’t yet read all his works, but Approaching Zion is a favorite I’ve not only read twice, but return to often. A book that has had a profound impact on me.

Having worked with my stake’s seminary program for at least five years now I had to smile at one of his daughter’s memories of a night her seminary teacher called the Nibley’s to report their daughter had missed class. Hugh ”holds the phone an inch farther away from his mouth and calls to my mother: “Dear? Is Martha taking seminary? I told her not to take seminary.”

The biography doesn’t get into what Hugh’s beef with seminary was all about, but I expect it had something to do with what seemed to be an aversion for teaching manuals. When you can read the scriptures in the original Greek, manuals might be far too confining to endure.

He seemed to want to live a life that pleased the Lord. To unflinchingly consecrate it to Him, while boldly producing volumes of scholarly work on subjects related to His gospel. A response to an LDS publisher who once contacted him, desiring to list him in a book of “successful people”, demonstrates Hugh’s genuine aversion to personal grandissement:

”I was flattered by your invitation and exhilarated by your sense of humor. To put me in a book of successful people is high comedy indeed. The first time I succeed in anything I shall let you know, but don’t hold your breath.

Might I suggest a book of Born Losers which I honestly believe would contain some far more interesting characters than any top management. . . . The church archives are full of obscure nobodys whose achievements rank with those of Enoch’s people. I am not thinking of the usual heroic pioneers but those who disappeared in obscurity after leaving tracks in the wilderness.”

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having living in the same Ward (only two doors away) with Dr. Nibley for many years, I thought I knew a great deal about him. This book truly opened my eyes. The author is one of Dr. Nibley's son-in-laws (he is married to Zina Nibley).

I have a couple of Hugh Nibley (absent minded professor) stories that happened to me personally.

One year while I was at BYU, Hugh and I would come down the Third East stairs at about the same time. As he was always reading a book I often would slip past him and stop traffic if needed as he never looked up and never stopped walking.

Once as I was leaving the old Joseph Smith Building on the BYU campus (it was located where the current JS Bldg is located) I passed Dr. Nibley's classroom. His students poured forth laughing. I asked one what had happened. He said "He did it again." "What?" I said. "He was talking about some ancient civilization and started teaching in its dead language just before the bell rang."


One more...when I was a young teenager in Manavu Ward where we lived, my mom and dad were attending the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School. Brother Nibley was the teacher. My mom came home raving about how good he taught, while my dad said he was going to the other Gospel Doctrine class as Bro. Nibley talked so fast using such big words that he didn't understand a thing he taught.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heavy book with small print, and so was difficult for me to read--a different font may have made a huge difference, especially with so many block quotes and footnotes smaller even than the main text. That technical difficulty aside--when I joined the LDS Church and went to BYU, people spoke so worshipfully of Hugh Nibley (and other, less worthy professors who had developed "followings") that it turned me off. This book (well-written and sourced by Nibley's son-in-law) gave me the same impression as it described Nibley's younger years. However, when his accomplishments, devotion, and intellectual and spiritual contributions were described as Nibley grew to adulthood, my respect for Nibley grew and I understand now why so many people became "devotees" of his work and writings. His humility--and the messages that he would be horrified to have those who appreciate him described as "disciples" or to have people speak with reverence, rather than respect, of his work are clear. Also clear are his sense of humor and his admirable ability to speak truth to power. Hugh Nibley has done more than any other scholar to educate the Saints about the Book of Mormon and the temple, and their relationship to ancient Christianity and other religions. This is a fine introduction to Professor Nibley and his work, written before his death in 2005.

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the chapters that interested me.
Some quotes:
p.45
this was said of Nibley by Louis C Midgely in 1969:
"he has evoked the Book of Mormon against the efforts of Sectarian Mormons to align certain American middleclass values with the gospel, as well as the recent attempts of some Mormons to sanctify a radical [rightwing:] political ideology by attributing it to God."
p. 46
"In 1990 when Eugene England called Hugh our "finest lay prophet" England pointed out the irony that Hugh's message has been largely unheeded within the Church..." England in 1997 when asked again about this said, "my sense is that , if anything, our culture has become more willing to confuse their cultural convictions with the Gospel."

[Hyrum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sorely disappointed in this book. I am a big Nibley fan, and so expected to learn more about him. Instead I found a book that began well, but ended up being a hero worship bio which made Nibley sound like he should've been the prophet. While I will grant his undisputable academic capabilities, I am not prepared to grant him the praise the author so richly bestows. Perhaps having a relative write your bio isn't always a good thing.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. I think I'd put Nibley up on a pedestal and just stood in awe of him. Not that I don't anymore, but this book gave me a much better understanding of him, I think. I'm glad I didn't read his temple stuff before I read his bio, because I think the bio gave a very good foundation for where those studies came from. This book was humbling. I want to be more in tune with the Spirit, not hesitating to obey, like he was.

[Ben Galbraith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hugh Nibley was a fascinating treasure who lived, by his own admission, a rather boring and extremely one-dimensional life. His writings are always interesting but this biography was not. Also, it was poorly written. I think someone ought to write a book on Hugh that takes more of a detailed survey of his published works with biographical details mixed in.

[Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyd Petersen has done a masterful job at sharing the genius and accomplishments of one of Mormonism's best scholars. While done topically instead of purely chronologically, Petersen nevertheless manages to show how Nibley's life experiences--especially those during WW2--shaped his reading of scripture and progressive politics. This is an essential reading for any fan of Hugh Nibley.

[Zina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is Dr. Hugh Nibley a one-of-a-kind genius and devoted disciple of our Savior, his wit and a taste of his life comes readily forward in this book. His son-in-law has done a wonderful work in bringing us into the personal life of Brother Nibley. A delightful/thoughtful read.

[D.Scott]

excellent

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's a quirky superlativist, but definitely had a unique mind. Worth reading, along with his Approaching Zion. He didn't seem to get caught up in the Mormon culture as much as others.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book! This book made me want to become more educated and valiant.

[Joe Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a joy. Very worth reading.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was well written and I learned a lot, not only about Hugh Nibley, but about the things he studied.

I would like to read more of the things he's written.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am such a Hugh Nibley fan, I was thrilled when this biography was finally published. What a life of dedicated principle. A master teacher and scholar of dozens of languages and cultures.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched, beautifully written story of the life of an amazing man.

[Damon Thueson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing book on the life of Hugh Nibley. I wish everyone could read this book and take notes on how dedicated he was to the Lord and the Lord's purposes.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography by Hugh's son-in-law.